A fiery Tesla crash in Texas needed 40 times the amount of water to extinguish the blaze than in a traditional gas-powered vehicle, according to the Austin Fire Department.
A Model X electric SUV smash into a traffic light in the state capital before catching fire in the early hours of Thursday.
Fire officials say that the blaze was hard to bring under control because of the battery cells that power the car.
Video shows the car, which has a starting price tag around $80,000, engulfed in flames after the incident in the Tarrytown area of the city.
“They obviously run completely on battery power, so there’s a battery under the frame, which makes it hard to get to. Plus, once it’s burning, they’re extremely hard to put out – they’ll reignite,” AFD Division Chief Thayer Smith said.
And he said that firefighters were now trained on how to extinguish the lithium batteries in electric cars.
2600 Exposition, Tesla involved in collision with fire extending to awning of gas station. Fire under control. Crews working cool burning batteries. pic.twitter.com/2etyUkN3vb
— Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) August 12, 2021
